Want a Simple ETF Portfolio? Here Are 25 of Them!

Exchange-traded products have found their way into countless portfolios as investors of all walks have embraced these financial instruments for their ease of use, cost efficiency, and unparalleled transparency.

A 2013 WSJ article by Anna Prior highlighted the sheer diversity among products in the ETF universe and how investors can actually build fairly complete portfolios with just a few funds.

In the spirit of simplicity, below we outline 25 all-ETF portfolios, each comprising just three funds in total.*

*Please note that investors should adjust the suggested allocations within each of the strategies to better suite their individual risk preferences and current income needs (expenses as of 5/15/2015).

25. Global Stocks & Bonds

This strategy spans the globe, covering both equity and fixed-income asset classes from both developed and emerging markets:

24. U.S. Total Market

This strategy is geared towards investors who are wary of international markets and would prefer to achieve foreign exposure tangentially through U.S. companies with overseas operations. A small bond component is also included to add diversification:

16. Global Consumers

As a complement to the Cyclical-Tilt Portfolio, this strategy is based around consumer staples exposure across the globe, covering both developed and emerging markets; the bond component is heavily tilted towards consumer staples as well:

14. ex-Japan

It’s no secret that Asian markets are going to account for a growing share of global GDP growth over the coming years. However, Japan has long been stuck in a rut, and as such, this strategy entirely avoids exposure to this developed market in an otherwise booming region:

3. Tax Escape

This strategy is intended for investors that fall in the high-income tax bracket, and as such, it avoids dividend-paying securities; the bond component is also made up entirely of municipal debt, which is tax-exempt: